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Eduard von der Heydt - art collector, banker, patron

The biography of Eduard von der Heydt is published by the
Prestel Publishers and will be available in our Museum Shop
from 19 April 2013 or directly at the Publishers from 22 April 2013. Selected works
of art and archival documents as well as previously unknown photos
from his estate give an authentic look to the free life of a
turbulent legendary collector.

Inhalt

From Buddha to Picasso

The Collector Eduard von der Heydt

Until 18 August 2013

The special exhibition about Eduard von der Heydt, the founding collector of the Museum Rietberg, showcases the publication of the first extensive biography. The show traces the origins of von der Heydt´s world art collection and presents it in the context of his life and various homes.

For Eduard von der Heydt (1882–1964), the founding collector of Museum Rietberg, there was only one kind of art: world art. Visionary though he was as an art collector, von der Heydt’s activities as a financier during the Second World War were controversial. The exhibition explores this contentious figure and asks questions about his collecting strategy, his aesthetics, and his personal and professional life. Installations of his most important homes (in Amsterdam, Zandvoort, Berlin and Ascona) are shown with some of their original furniture. Exciting objects and the history of their origins shed a new and comprehensive light on this important collector.

Supporting program

Conference

History of the Collection and Provenance Research (Saturday, 8 June 2013, 9.30–17.00)

The conference aims to encourage international exchange between museums working in the field of provenance research. It will focus on the ways in which museums deal with artworks of unknown provenance, the focus and meaning of museum archives, and questions about the history of museums, their collections and their reception in the 20th century.

Here you will find more information about the conference as of 19 April.